Bengals vs. Falcons: Key Players to Watch in Thursday Night's Preseason Matchup

The Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons are opening up the second week of the 2012 NFL preseason with a contest that should be surprisingly entertaining for an exhibition game.

There are a lot of players to watch in this matchup that promise to have a big impact on how the regular season turns out for both teams, some which you may already know and some which you might be seeing for the first time on Thursday night.

Let’s take a look at which guys you should key in on when you tune in to this contest at 8:00 p.m. ET on FOX.

Peter Konz, RG, Falcons

Konz has been moving up the depth chart and is now behind Garrett Reynolds at RG, a position he isn’t familiar with but is doing fine transitioning into.

The 6’5”, 315-pound behemoth out of Wisconsin was the Falcons' second-round pick in this year’s draft and has the potential to be a legitimate starter at either the center or guard spot for a long time.

He’s going to get a lot of work against former Penn State standout DT Devon Still when the second units come in. The Bengals rookie was one of the young tackles in the draft class and will be a matchup nightmare for Konz.

If the O-lineman can shut down the man across from him in this contest, he might be at the top of the depth chart by the start of the season.

Terence Newman, CB, Bengals

After T.J. Yates and the Houston Texans torched the Cincy secondary in the postseason last year, the team realized they had to upgrade in the offseason.

Newman, a free agent who last played with the Dallas Cowboys, was one of the marquee signings by the Bengals and will be expected to compete with Nate Clements for the starting job opposite of Leon Hall.

He looked capable of that against the Jets in the opening preseason contest, but he’ll have his hands full against Julio Jones—who torched the Ravens for 109 yards and a TD in just one quarter of action last week.

Vontaze Burfict, LB, Bengals

The former Arizona State Sun Devil was supposed to be a first-round draft pick in 2012, but instead fell into the undrafted free-agent pile after bombing his interviews and showing up to the combine out of shape.

Cincy, long a place where NFL players could hope to find a second chance, is giving one to the troubled young linebacker.

Burfict has a real chance to make an impact with Rey Maualuga out of the lineup this week. He should see an extended amount of time on the field and has a shot to earn a backup job.